The Writing Center, a support program that facilitates writing projects, provides free tutorials to all students at UMC from all disciplines. Feel free to drop in to see a tutor if you:

• don't know how to get started with a class paper
• need help brainstorming
• are not sure what a thesis statement or topic sentence is like
• need writing strategies for a specific kind of audience
• want to know how to narrow down a research topic
• don't know how to find or evaluate sources
• need to practice a presentation or speech
• need peer feedback for a term paper
• are confused about citation styles
• don't know what your professor means when he/she says "dangling modifier"
• don't know what to include in a resume or cover letter

A detailed description of the services we provide is as follows:

One-on-one or Small Group Tutorials
Grammar Help Desk
Writing Workshops
Business Writing
Student Online Resources
Instructor Consultation

One-on-one or Small Group Tutorials

Students can sign up for a 30-minute tutorial to discuss any aspect of their writing projects.

Students are welcome to the Writing Center for a walk-in tutorial subject to tutor availability.

Each student can have up to 30 minutes of individual feedback, discussion, and suggestions for improving his or her writing in each tutor conference.

Students who are referred to the Writing Center by their course instructors can schedule to meet with an assigned tutor on a regular basis.

Each tutorial session is limited to 30 minutes. Students are encouraged to sign up for another session or walk-in if they need more time.

Students may only register for one session each day.

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Grammar Help Desk

Students can call the Writing Center at 8553 for quick questions on almost any writing, including grammar and citation styles.

Questions are limited to quick grammar or writing advice.
Calls are taken only during regular tutorial hours on class days.

Students are also encouraged to submit questions via email to barto148@umn.edu in order to get an answer.

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Writing Workshops

The Writing Center will hold workshops to provide UMC students with an opportunity to learn about a variety of writing-related topics, including information about basic writing skills/strategies, research papers, business writing documents, technical writing basics, ESL issues, and the use of our resources.

Each workshop, facilitated by English professors or professionals, is designed to provide students with the opportunities to learn the skills they need to succeed at writing tasks.

For more information, visit our Workshops and Events page.

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Business Writing

The Writing Center will tutor business writing, ranging from job search documents (e.g. resumes and cover letters) to memos and reports.

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Student Online Resources

The Writing Center has the following resources available online:

• The Writing Process
• Steps in the Research Process
• Finding Information
• Grammar and Punctuation
• English as a Second Language
• How to Avoid Common Mistakes
• Citing and Documenting Your Sources
• How to Improve Your Writing Style

Please visit our Student Online Resources page for more information.

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Instructor Consultation

The Writing Center will consult on a regular basis with Composition and Communication faculty members and professors in other disciplines about assigning and responding to student papers.

The Writing Center will work with professors in all disciplines to encourage students’ use of the writing services at UMC and develop ideas for projects connected with writing.

The Writing Center will work with professors across the curriculum to develop ways to include Writing Center services in their classes, including in-class workshops on various writing concerns ranging from conducting successful peer reviews to appropriate citation styles.

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